Support ends in 2014 for Microsoft Windows XP and Office 2003
Why
In 2002 Microsoft
introduced its Support Lifecycle
policy based on customer feedback
to have more transparency and predictability of support for Microsoft products.
As per this policy, Microsoft Business and Developer products, including
Windows and Office products, receive a minimum of 10 years of support (5 years
Mainstream Support and 5 years Extended Support), at the supported service pack
level.
Thus, Windows XP SP3
and Office 2003 will
go out of support on April 8, 2014.
If your organization has not started the migration to a modern desktop, you are
late. Based on historical customer deployment data, the average enterprise
deployment can take 18 to 32 months from business case through full deployment.
To ensure you remain on supported versions of Windows and Office, you should
begin your planning and application testing immediately to ensure you deploy
before end of support.
It means you
should take action. After April 8, 2014, there will be no new security updates,
non
security hotfixes, free or paid assisted support options or online
technical content updates.
Running Windows XP SP3
and Office 2003 in your environment after their end of support date may expose
your company to potential risks, such as:
·
Security
& Compliance Risks: Unsupported and unpatched environments are vulnerable to
security risks. This may result in an officially recognized control failure by
an internal or external audit body, leading to suspension of certifications,
and/or public notification of the organization’s inability to maintain its
systems and customer information.
·
Lack
of Independent Software Vendor (ISV) & Hardware Manufacturers support: A recent industry report from Gartner Research
suggests "many independent software vendors (ISVs) are unlikely to support
new versions of applications on Windows XP in 2011; in 2012, it will become
common." And it may stifle access to hardware innovation: Gartner Research
further notes that in 2012, most PC hardware manufacturers will stop supporting
Windows XP on the majority of their new PC models.
Get current with
Windows and Office. This option has
upside well beyond keeping you supported. It offers more flexibility to empower
employees to be more productive, while increasing operational efficiency
through improved PC security and management. It also enables your organization
to take advantage of latest technology trends such as virtualization and the
cloud.
How Enterprise
Customers: Microsoft
offers large organizations in-depth technical resources, tools, and expert
guidance to ease the deployment and management of Windows, Office and Internet
Explorer products and technologies. To learn more about migration and
deployment programs, please contact your Microsoft sales representative or Certified Microsoft Partner.
Learn how to pilot and deploy a modern desktop yourself, download the free Microsoft
Deployment Toolkit and
begin your deployment today.
Small to Medium Business: There are many options for small
and medium businesses considering
moving to a modern PC with the latest productivity and collaboration tools. Small
to mid-size organizations should locate a Microsoft Certified Partner to
understand the best options to meet their business needs. If your current PC
meets the system requirements for
Windows 7 or Windows
8.1, you can buy Windows 7 Professional or Windows 8.1 Pro from a local
retailer or Microsoft
Certified Partner. If your PC does not meet system requirements,
consider purchasing a new business PC with Windows 8.1 Pro.
By Microsoft News
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